Friday, July 25, 2014

Flashback

A lot of effort goes in tucking your bed neat and tidy with no creases, just plain. After a good night's sleep, I spend at least 5 minutes to make the bed. I can stand a messy house, sink with flooded utensils, but not an unclean gas hob and undone bed. So every morning Aadhya helps me doing the bed, you know what I mean...she just makes it difficult:)

That morning I felt that the sheet needs to be changed. Very quickly I took a washed, clean white sheet with pretty pink flowers boldly printed. The sheet was smelling sweet due to the conditioner, but it felt as though the bold pink flowers did! During my act of actually spreading the sheet Aadhya gets very excited. She likes sitting on the bed and under the sheet which is flowing over her head, sometimes tickling her cheeks and covering her eyes for a fraction of seconds; it's like the peek-a-boo moment for her and then when she sees me in front of her that lovely giggle is to die for and melts my heart. I don't care if I am getting late, it's worth a moment to be lived.

This one incident always reminds me of my childhood. Our maid dried up all the washed laundary on a metal string in our small porch. The clothes merrily swayed and flowed with the breeze and the favorites was to tangle ourselves in Aai's Saree. Chiffon, cotton, polyester every type of fabric used to smell Aai. Tangling and untangling were so fun and relaxing. My brother loved hiding under these sun dried/baked clothes once off the string. He buried himself under the heap and I used to dig him out.

I so miss those days where these letting things lit up a smile on our face. Nothing expensive really, but the joy was invaluable. Do you remember those puddles of muddy rain water in which tapping your feet and jumping was an Olympic sport? With all guilt on your way back home because the shiny, sparkly shoes were no longer the same. How would you face your Mom? When was the last time you sat your feet soaked in water and then suddenly splashing all over finding yourself drenched? Sharing a chocolate with your sibling? I always saved my chocolate and would share it with him. Well, don't think that I was always a caring and protective elder sister, I never left a chance to tarnish his image by gossiping about him to Aai and then he too reverted leaking all our secrets that we had promised to keep. Some crazy incidences were how fast does one finish eating food, reach home, wake early.. endless!!! In our school we weren't allowed to wear a watch until we entered standard VII. I and Raju(brother) used to walk to school. To know the time we always peeped in a shop with a wall clock having a pendulum, an old styled but bold enough. It was legible from the opposite side of the road. We actually had to turn to peep in the shop from the opposite side. Can you believe we had a rota system! isn't that funny, weird, but yet thoughtful for that age? It was a trend in our colony to train your sibling(s) to ride a cycle and I did that for him a couple of times. The huge lovely Mango, Jamun trees were loaded in summers, leaving us feel so greedy. I yet cannot forget that chase when the security found us performing the act of hailing stones at those gorgeous mangoes. Those mangoes and Jamun won from the chase tasted sweetest. A bite of raw tangy sour mango smeared with salt-chilli powder , the sourness leaving your eyes shut and unknowingly the tongue touching the pallet, it was fun indeed!

Life was fairly simple. There was no stopping to meet your colony friends after the school. There was so much I was living at that one moment due to Aadhya. I lifted her, gave a tight hug and kissed her. Her one such innocent act transported me in the past without any time machine. I really pray that Aadhya too has such fantastic memories which will make her feel insane but brings a smile on her face even after years. Flashbacks rejuvenate your soul...don't they?